A Different kind of suffering (Dani)
ooc the formatting is a bit off for now, but at least I got some spelling errors fixed in moving it here.. hurray for firefox's spell checker ;) '' Category:Stories Beginnings It was a cold winters morning, she could feel the frozen grass biting at her bare feet as she was being brought out of her cell. The linen bag they had placed over her head only let through the faintest of light, but then she did not need light to tell her where she was going. The Light had long since abandoned her, despite what the vicar had tried to tell her only moments ago, she knew - and she knew she was going to die. She never resisted even as they put the noose around her neck, she had accepted the path before her a long time ago... and it's not like it would accomplish anything. In his usual droning voice the self-righteous bastard began the ritual that was supposed to make this different from what she had done. "As Mayor of Southshore, and for the charge of murder I here by condemn you Danie..." The esteemed mayor of Southshore was cut short by the sharp "twang" as the rope around her neck tightened. She was supposed to be dead, she knew that much - but she could still hear them whispering as the rope slowly strangled her. "You mindless buffon! How often must I tell you to wait until I have pronounced the sentence, if you were not my sisters husband I swear I would fire you for incompetence." Whomever he was addressing took the tirade calmly enough and only replied "I think she is still alive" "Ah, good you have a chance to redeem you self. Get her back up - and this time you had better wait till I've finished, the protocol is there for a reason after all" She felt somebody tugging at the rope as the sounds arround her faded. Waking up was a surprise, at first she drew a sigh of relief - thinking it had all been a bad dream. The horrors of reality dawned on her soon enough, this wasn't her bedroom - and those tree men slowly backing away from her certainly wasn't anyone she knew. "What.. where am I?" "Uden lo daer!" What ever it meant it sounded a tad desperate, and sure enough he grabbed for his dagger. Not really thinking her hand reached the dagger first and plunged it into his heart. The hot sweet smell of blood woke something in her, a hunger of sorts. She quickly retracted the dagger, but quick as she was the other two had allready run away. "Grave robbers ..Grave robbers?" then it finaly hit her, the plague.. that must have been it. And with that she realised it would be dangerous to remain here for much longer, the grave robbers would not remain silent for long. Casting her mind about she remembered the tales of what was supposedly going on in Lordaeron, intelligent undeads hardly seemed possible - but in her current situation even the silliest of tales would do. Lost in the forest of Tirisfal she came upon a rider - from the looks of things he should not be be there, much less riding, but then the same could be said of her. She walked out onto the road right in his path "And you are?" he demanded haughtily. Her memories had faded fast over the last few days of travelling, and to her horror she realised she could not recall her name. What had that the mayor said? Dani something, but surely that was but part of her name. "Dani? an odd name that. Well report to Brill immediately Dani, or you may well be taken for one of the scourge" She did not realise she had spoken the name out loud, and why would she not want to be taken for scourge? Apparently she must have spoken aloud again, for the rider hit her hard across the face "Ofcourse we are not scourge, we are the forsaken! Now be on your way, you have kept me from my duties long enough" and so it began... Dark dreams She crept along the winding passages of Undercity. Even at this time when the city was all but empty it seemed to pulsate with a life of its own, making it somehow seem almost serene. Slowly she made her way to the Inn, it migth be silly to hide in the shadows here so far from the living, but it gave her with a sense of tranquillity. Choosing the coffin closest to the rear wall, she lay down and let sleep take her. The fireplace crackled quietly as she put the baby back in his cradle, she decided to wait by the cradle a little while in case he woke again. Teething was supposedly one of the worst times for the parents, but she did not mind; truth be told she could spend hours just gazing at him sleeping, so she waited. The familiar creak of the front door made her turn around to see her oldest son with his most sturdy clothes on, holding a large bundle. ''So you are leaving then? she inquired, knowing full well the answer. Mother, we have been over this he sighed I'm going north to join father's unit, I am old enough to make my own decisions and it's the right thing to do She merely nodded, he took after his father in more than one way. Being stubborn as a mule was only one of them and arguing would only make him more determined to go. Do you want me to pass a message to him? Tell him, ... to burn your enlistment papers and send you home, she though Tell him I will be waiting for the both of you to return. He frowned at her then but only said goodbye mother She turned from him and fought the tears till she heard the door shut behind her. She set the broom aside - not that the floor had needed it but it had been weeks since the last letter and cleaning calmed her. A shap knock on the door made her forget all cleaning and sent her rushing to open her hopes soaring, had they returned? The fellow at the door was none she had seen before and he was in a sorry state, fever racking his body and a bandage covering his one eye. Then she saw it - the crest of Lordaeron - her heart burst and she fell to her knees in a wordless shriek. The dream faded from view replaced bland colours of Undercitys stone walls, she shut her mouth to keep the shriek in. Hugging her self to stop from trembling she squeezed her eyes shut to stem the flood. Somebody close to her spoke softly bad dreams? She merely nodded, opening her eyes to stare at nothing. Time passed and the voice slowly moved into view hand halfway stretching out to her, then deciding against simply nodded and moved off. She sat there staring at nothing, thinking of nothing till the morning shift came. Slumping slightly she got up and crept back to her post in the royal quarters, waiting for orders. She needed to be stone, to be ready to strike at the queens command, to forget the dream.